A former Pirate IPTV partner of Omi in a Hellcat has forfeited his gains to the US government.
In 2019, the federal government shut down Gears-branded IPTV services operated by Bill Omar Carrasquillo, better known online as ‘Omi in a Hellcat’.
Omi in a Hellcat Sued for Pirate IPTV
Not only until 2022 did Carrasquillo (Omi in a Hellcat) begin urging others not to go down the same piracy path as he did. Carrasquillo even said he would plead guilty to criminal copyright infringement, tax fraud, wire fraud, and other offenses.
It’s not uncommon to see IPTV operators tied to organized crime like tax fraud, hacking, theft, and other criminal activities.
However, a criminal indictment from 2021 revealed that the popular YouTuber wasn’t the only one under the government crosshairs.
Jesse Gonzales of California and Michael Barone of New York were also charged with criminal offenses relating to the illegal redistribution of Comcast, Verizon, Spectrum, DirecTV, and Frontier Communications content.
Michael Barone pled guilty to copyright infringement offenses under 17 U.S. Code § 506(1)(A) and 18 U.S. Code § 2319
The US government’s Order of Forfeiture document against Barone states that all property held by him that “constitutes or is derived from proceeds traceable to the commission of such offense is forfeited to the United States.” This refers to the proceeds generated by the pirate IPTV scheme.
The “Gears Reloaded” pirate IPTV operation reportedly generated over $30 million in revenue.
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But for Barone, his amount to be forfeited to the US government was only over $122,000. The US government was unable to locate any further assets of Barone to confiscate.
This order will take effect once Barone has been sentenced, which was scheduled for November 2022 but that doesn’t appear to have happened.
You can view the original source from TorrentFreak along with the official legal documentation below.
US vs Michael Barone – Order of Forfeiture (PDF)
Important Note: Be aware of scammers pretending to be “Gears TV” with fake websites and subscription packages. We’ve already seen this happen with BestBuyIPTV.
BestBuyIPTV Scamming People with Fake Websites
Refer to the video below for Omi in a Hellcat’s previous legal issues.
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For more recent news articles on streaming and IPTV, refer to the links below
- Police Warn IPTV Users by Making Home Visits
- Over 55 Streaming Sites Seized by US Government
- IPTV Operators Tied to Organized Crime
Is IPTV Legal?
It’s impossible for IPTV Wire to determine whether unverified IPTV services, apps, or add-ons hold the proper licensing.
If and when an IPTV service is deemed illegal, we notify our users immediately and update reports on our website to reflect that information.
In conclusion, the end-user is responsible for all content accessed through free IPTV apps and paid services.
See our detailed guide below for more information on the legality of IPTV and everything you need to know before streaming.
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